Super 8 casting agent Jason James arrested as sex offender

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Child casting agent is sex offender

Casting agent Jason James Murphy, who has worked with kids in hit movies such as Super 8, was arrested Friday on suspicion of violating sex offender laws, leaving parents of the child stars extremely upset.

Casting Jason James Murphy is a convicted sex offender, however he managed to work his way into casting children in some of Hollywood's top movies, including Super 8, Bad News Bears and The School of Rock, by dropping his last name and using a pseudonym of Jason James.

Murphy was sentenced to seven years in jail in 1996 when he was 19 years old and working as a camp counselor. He was charged with molesting and kidnapping a young boy he met while working at the camp.

Murphy, whose mug shot is pictured above, was arrested on Friday for violating Megan's Law registry, which requires him to file a name change and change of address. If convicted, he could serve three years in prison.

The casting agents that hired Murphy told the LA Times they did not know of his past and the LAPD says they do not have evidence that he has committed any new crimes, however the parents of the child actors he worked with do not feel reassured.

"They're just freaking out. It's the one place in our industry when the kids are alone," says Anne Henry, co-founder of BizParentz Foundation, which is a support group for parents of child stars. "In casting situations, the parents are never in the room for an audition. Some guy comes up. They take your kid down the hall and disappear for 20 minutes. You never know."